NIGHT WORLD: DARK SHADOWS
by Miracle R. Layman
Summary: A new Night World series started by me-basically another 'end of the world' thing...


NIGHT WORLD : DARK SHADOWS  
  
Miracle Layman  
  
Copyright 2003  
  
The Night World and all of its characters (except those created by me) are the property of L.J. Smith  
  
Prologue - Darkness Falls  
  
It seemed like only yesterday to the ones who watched it happen that the world was nearly lost to the darkness. All who lived in those times feared not only for their very lives but their very souls. All hell broke loose on earth and no-one was safe, not even the ones who caused it. The world was falling apart, and only four young adults could stop it....if they all lived. Iliana Harman, Jez Redfern, Delos Redfern, and Kale Harman, all 17 years old soon came together to fend off the vampires and remaining witches, shapeshifters, and werewolves of the Night World. No-one knew if they would survive until the final battle, much less win. But they proved themselves when everyone thought it was over and the world as we knew it was through.  
  
They defeated the darkness that had threatened all humans and Daybreakers. The world was made safe again. Everyone went back to their normal lives and lived happily ever after. But good times never last. It had been so long since the final battle that most people went back to their everyday lives, nearly forgetting that their lives were ever threatened. That was when they decided to act. Thanks to everyones' careless attitudes, a new evil was growing silently. No-one knew and they wouldn't know until it was almost too late. Then the world would then again be born into utter chaos as the new evil rose more and more powerful. And then again, the fate of the world would be in the hands of a few young adults. Young adults blessed with something even more powerful than the blue fire. But the evil was unlike any evil the world has ever known as well.   
  
We are once again about to be thrown into dark days where we don't know who to trust, but are hoping and praying that whatever forces are on our side will ultimately save us. These are the stories of these forces....These are the stories of the next heroes of the new Night World.  
  
Chapter 1 -   
  
Ariana Redfern opened her eyes, and nearly screamed. The entire world was cloaked in complete darkness,and for a few split seconds she thought she'd gone blind. Then she noticed it was just that dark in the crypt. She wasn't used to waking up to pitch black darkness. She was used to waking up with the sun coming in through her bay windows over her face. But that had all changed just a few days ago. She was forced into hiding because of a teenage prank, a very evil, cruel prank that had cost an innocent human his life and almost cost Ariana her life as well. She tried to force it out of her head, but it all rushed back to her. Blood, so much blood everywhere. And she couldn't stop it. Tears fell from her eyes as she thought of her friend Jake Terri dying in her arms just those few nights ago, and she knew once again, today would be a bad day. Just like the other two since it had happened.   
  
Her life had changed drastically since that night, and she'd never be able to get any of her life back. If she went back to Shady Grove they'd arrest her, or even kill her. She was a fugitive now, and she'd have to get used to being alone, and cold, and waking up to darkness.   
  
She had tried to get ahold of her great-grandfather Ash (he was more like her great-great-great grandfather), but all she ever got was his answering machine. She kept trying, going from payphone to payphone, hoping no-one would recognize her. She was pretty far from home after all. She knew if she could get in touch with Ash she'd be ok because she could go live with him and Mary-Lynette in Baton Rouge. Thousands of miles from Shady Grove and anyone who would know who and more importantly WHAT she was.   
  
She got out of her coffin(vampires don't have to sleep in coffins, but in Ariana's case, that was all she had) and made her way up to the crypt's entrance. The daylight always dazzled her, so she opened the door slowly and and stood there looking out for a while to get used to it.Then she stepped out and began her somewhat long journey to the grocery store across town.   
  
Once again, it was the answering machine. She left a message this time, though. "Hey, Ash, this is Ariana. I kinda need a place to stay. It's pretty important, but I can't really talk about it now, so could you come by here? Say by tomorrow night? I'm in a small town in Washington called Woodhaven. You probably know where it is. Guess I'll see ya then. Bye." She hung up the phone with just a little more disappointment than before. Would she ever get ahold of him? She was starting to think not.  
  
After all her bad luck, something good actually happened on the way home. She was taking a short way home that she had noticed yesterday, and as she went by a slightly dilapidated house, she saw that a motorcycle was for sale. And it was in her price range. She went up to the door and knocked, but no-one answered. She shook her head and began to start her walk home again when she turned around and looked at the bike one last time. It may need some work, but she couldn't possibly miss out on this opportunity. She picked up an old soda bottle, stuffed in the money, and went back to the door, leaving it inside the screen. She then took the motorcycle and started back to the cemetery. She hoped there wouldn't be any trouble over that. That was the last thing she needed.  
  
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End file.
